Congolese chef, Dieuveil Malonga, who learned how to cook from Europe’s top restaurants, says he owes his success to grandmothers across Africa, who passed on the Afro-fusion culinary secrets to him.
“I travel [to]different countries . . . to learn from the grandmothers. Then I get these old recipes and I bring it to my laboratory here and we try with my chefs to give it something of a modern touch,” he said.
The 30-year-old from Congo-Brazzaville has visited 38 of Africa’s 54 countries, using fermentation and other techniques, as well as ingredients to add texture and flavour to the dishes served at his restaurant in Rwanda’s capital Kigali. The treasures sourced during his trips are everywhere in Meza Malonga (“Malonga’s Table” in Kiswahili).
Food experts have largely ignored the continent’s culinary heritage, with not a single Michelin-starred restaurant to be found on the continent. But that may soon change, thanks to the efforts of chefs like Malonga, who co-founded Chefs in Africa – a website devoted to promoting the region’s rising stars.
“Something . . . is happening in Africa, and people are getting interested in knowing more about African cuisine,” he said in an interview with AFP at his restaurant, minutes before the dinner rush kicked off. Stressing the diversity of African food, he cited the example of Nigeria, where one can choose from more than 20 dishes on any given day.